RIP: Jimmy Dean

Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, “Big Bad John,” and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.

She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.

As if Chicago music fans didn’t already have a dozen festivals cluttering up their busy summer plans of hating on the Cubs, eating hot dogs, complaining about Mayor Daley, lazily watching World Cup soccer, and thinking of plans to break into Lollapalooza, the North Coast Music Festival has been announced, with lineup, and is scheduled as “Summer’s Last Stand” during the weekend of September 3 - 5.

The festival will be held in Union Park and tickets cost $35 dollars per day! Plus, in a move sure to infuriate Mayor Daley and his “let’s suck the schools dry” program, a portion of all ticket sales will be donated to Urban Initiatives, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that runs a health, education, and soccer program in 14 Chicago area public schools. And trust me, if Chicago public schools need anything, it’s money, because Mayor Daley is a real jerk and he hates kids.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch the Cubs fail, again, and eat hot dogs all day while complaining about Mayor Daley and trying to find time to go a buttload of music festivals.

Literacy advocates, lock-up your Book-mobiles. Glitchy-yet-pastoral sample-masters The Books are getting ready to publish their new album, The Way Out, July 20 on their ironically “new” home: Temporary Residence. But if, like me, you’re disappointed with the lack of cleverly anti-clever punnery in the title of this new one, perhaps you can take some comfort in the giant-ass super tour upon which the duo is embarking this fall. Another thing you can do is throw some puns of your own out there. Go ahead and try a few out on your co-workers and neighbors. See if they stick.

For example, before the “ink dries” (hehehehehe!) on the fall tour, they’ve also got three additional summer appearances on the “books” (hahahahahahaha!): the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival in Massachusetts, ATP New York, and a free outdoor show at Chicago’s Millennium Park “next week” (hohohohoho!… oh wait, that last one’s not funny at all. Hmm. On second thought, maybe we should all just leave the puns to The Books.)

So Boris are planning an extensive tour of the U.S. this summer. Pretty massive, right? Gonna be brutal, huh? Yeah, I know all of you ironically hooded anti-hip stoner types are squirming on your hand-me-down sofas at the thought of this. Just like you did during the last five or six times Boris rounded the U.S. You’re forming in your brain a logical expression of your feelings toward this right now: “shit brah, it’s rad that Russian Circles and Red Sparowes are gonna be opening up, that’s almost twice the amount of brutalness.” Yes my little stoner friend, you are correct. It’s a whole lot of rock. I’ve got to hand it to you, though. Unlike the current-yet-somewhat-waning proto-hipster following that Boris has accumulated in the past couple of years, you, you have most likely been with them since the beginning. I’m talking Amplifier Worship days. Odds are, you’re probably a little upset at the sonic crossroad Boris has taken as of late, and deep down you’re slightly frustrated with all the newfound hype. If so, I’m elated to tell you that the culmination and highlight of this tour will be Boris performing the 2006 sunn 0))) collaboration Altar (TMT Review) in its entirety at this September’s Jim Jarmusch-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties in Monticello, NY. Yep, I just heard your spirits lift.

If that wasn’t enough of a Boris fix to keep the shakes away, there are also now reports coming in (holding hand to earpiece) that Ian Astbury, who you might recognize from his tenures with such notable bands as The Cult and The Doors, will be releasing a collaborative “mini-LP” with the constantly morphing Japanese heavy rockers. The album, simply to be titled BXI, was mixed and recorded in Boris’ home city of Tokyo this past April and is expected to see the light (or darkness?) this September via who else but curator of all things evil and excellent, Southern Lord. Somebody stop these guys, seriously.

If you wanna scope out some additional info into why and how this pretty rad collab came about, there’s an interview with drummer Atsuo over at P4K that’ll provide all that.

It seems like every day a new lineup is announced for a forthcoming festival. This week it’s Portland’s turn, with MusicfestNW revealing its 2010 lineup for its 10th year. Taking place from September 9-12, MusicfestNW is mixing things up a bit this year by adding two outdoor performances at Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square, in addition to their regular 17-club, four-night, 160-band indoor performances. The two lucky bands that get to play in the sun are The Decemberists and The National, on September 11 and 12, respectively. Apparently you have to be a “The” band to get that privilege. Wristbands for the festival go on sale June 5 for either $90 (which includes admission to both outdoor shows and the entire four-day festival) or $65 (only includes admission to one outdoor show and the remainder of the festival). Individual tickets can also be purchased for any of the shows.

Tobacco is going on tour. Shit-yeah, super thumbs up. It’s probably in support of the new album, called Maniac Meat (head to the Chocolate Grinder to hear a track from that). Bring your moms and stepdads. Shower first.